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House of Chains/Chapter 5
Aren Blistig and Gamet Commander Blistig has been given orders by the new Fist Gamet, head of Adjunct Tavore's army, to find Squint, the archer who killed Coltaine to end his suffering. The archer is found drunken in a tavern. Gamet complains about the lack of discipline among the Aren soldiers. Blistig reminds him of the anger among his soldiers at being forced by orders to stand by and watch Coltaine and the Chain of Dogs get slaughtered by their pursuers just outside the walls of Aren. Blistig also voices some doubts of Gamet's leadership abilities, to which Gamet reminds him that he is a 23-year veteran of the Fourth Army and Wickan Wars. Before parting Gamet informs Blistig that Adjunct Tavore has called a meeting of all commanders that night. Strings On the last transport, a new Malazan recruit, Strings, watches Aren grow closer, thinking how little it has changed since he last saw it. He is joined by Lieutenant Ranal who hints at his suspicions that Strings is a deserter of the Malazan army based on his age and the army recruiters insistence that Strings be promoted to Sergeant. Strings replies by saying he has met plenty of deserters and they all have their different reasons for leaving but share one thing in common - deserters don't end up putting themselves back into recruiting lines. In another conversation with a different recruit, Strings is asked how he got his name, to which he replies that the tale is too long. It is revealed to the reader however that Strings used to go by the name of Fiddler. Lostara Yil Lostara Yil awaits someone who had sent a cryptic message to meet in a bar, whom she suspects is Pearl. Pearl arrives and informs Lostara of a meeting that night with Adjunct Tavore and invites her to attend as his aide in a particular upcoming task. The meeting will allow both of them to learn the details of the mission. Tavore and others As Gamet awaits Tavore's arrival to the meeting, he reconsiders his doubts that his promotion to Fist of her army was not based on merit but more on her familiarity with him in the role of administrator and organizer of House Paran and that she plans to use him as such as Fist. Also present at the meeting are Admiral Nok, Tene Baralta the commander of the Red Blades and Blistig. Tavore arrives and immediately begins reading from scrolls and divvying up command assignments for the Fourteenth Army, with Gamet, Blistig and Baralta commanding one legion each. The Chain of Dogs survivors are to be broken up and dispersed among the army. She dismisses Blistig, Baralta and Nok, however she orders the latter to remain available for a meeting later. She remains alone with Gamet who talk together, speculating about how the previous meeting attendees will organize their forces. Nil, Nether and Temul then enter the room. Tavore informs the two mages that they now serve the Fourteenth Army. They try to refuse, telling her that the warlock spirits within them are silent. She tells them to find a way to wake them up and that they must serve as ordered. Tavore informs Temul that the Wickans will be attached to her personal entourage as bodyguards. They are then dismissed. Tavore leads Gamet into a different room and asserts, "In this room, the Empress is not present." Subsequently, Pearl and Lostara enter. When Pearl discusses the Empresses' and Topper's displeasure with him, Tavore hints that he would then possibly be available for a more "private enterprise," which makes Lostara uncomfortable since the Adjunct is not allowed to have any considerations apart from the Empress. Tavore inquires to Pearl about the Talon, which he assures her no longer exist. She challenges his honesty, and he admits that they do and have been difficult to eradicate fully. When Tavore indicates that perhaps the Talon had been working for the nobility, Pearl asks her to "name him." Tavore offeres the name Baudin. She explains that she employed Baudin but now fears something has gone wrong. At this, Gamet lets slip the name, "Felisin." Pearl asks when Tavore lost contact, and Tavore states that it was the night of the uprising. She gives Pearl and Lostara a scroll with more information and asks them to find her sister. Gamet flashes back to Unta on the night of the culling of the nobility. He recalls guarding the hiding spot of Felisin after her parents had already been arrested and taken. He had dismissed the three other guards, but only two had left. Gamet had suspected that the remaining guard, who gave him the impression of martial skill and confidence, was in the employ of the Empress, but the guard had confided that he was working under Tavore's orders to keep Felisin safe. The man had identified himself only as Kollen, a name he acknowledged as being false. Gamet had been suspicious of Kollen's intentions as Tavore had done nothing to save her parents from the culling, to which Kollen said that the Adjunct's options were limited, given the scrutiny she was under. He had told Gamet that Felisin was to spend a brief time in the Otataral mines and that it was impossible to protect her from all harm. Kollen had then told Gamut to escort Felisin to a safe house in the Avenue of Souls, which had made Gamet sadly realize it meant Felisin would face "Judgement's Round. To the chains." Pearl and Lostara are left alone in the meeting room. Pearl is studying the scroll given by Tavore, but Lostara is initially refusing to do the job. Pearl says that is her choice, but he will have to kill her. She asks Pearl since when does he do the Adjunct's bidding, to which he replies when she unequivocally reasserted her loyalty to the Empress. Lostara doesn't understand, so Pearl explains that the Talon have been working with the nobility to return the nobles to power. Now that Tavore has shifted from being a noble to being Adjunct, she had just severed her old loyalties by giving up the Talons to the Claw. Once they find Baudin, they can then unravel the entire organization. Lostara agrees to take the mission. Tavore and Gamet meet with Nok. Nok informs Tavore that a certain transport ship she had previously asked about, the ship containing Pormqual's treausure, had sank in the Malaz harbor with no survivors. Tavore is skeptical that sharks ate everyone and left no remains. Nok says he knows of a dozen examples. Tavore interrupts with the name of the Twisted, Kellanved's flagship, which mysteriously disappeared the night after the assassinations and allegedly sank, taking all aboard down with it. Before Nok can reply, Tavore interrupts and points out that only Nok and three others "are left" among the assassinated Emperor's men. The other three being Tayschrenn, Dujek and Whiskeyjack. The Adjunct bluntly asks of Nok why so many of the Emperor's men abandoned the Empress upon her ascension to the throne. Nok says the answer to her question lies in the history of how Kellanved's "family" came to be. Nok points out how Kellanved started out with just one partner, Dancer. The pair hired several locals, Nok, Ameron, Dujek and Nok's wife Hawl, to knock out the criminal element in the city, who "ruled the entire island." As they succeeded, they recruited more "family" from the Napan refugees, including Crust, Urko, Surly, Toc the Elder, Tayschrenn and Duiker. Unbeknown to Kellanved and Dancer at the time was the fact that Surly was of the royal Napan line and was using "the family" for ulterior motives, culminating in the betrayal of Kellanved. Tavore understands this, but still doesn't know why it was Nok, Dujek and Tayschrenn who stayed with Surly (now Laseen) but the other Napan's abandoned her. Nok explains that, while they were not party to Laseen's betrayal, nobody would believe they weren't, and continue to serve Laseen was "complicity and damnation." Strings Strings enters the stables and meets the other recruits of the 4th squad and introduces himself as their sergeant. He asks their names, which are Tarr, Smiles, Bottle and Koryk. Stings asks who their drill sergeant was and is surprised to find out it was Braven Tooth, whom he didn't know was still alive. It was Braven Tooth who gave names to most of the Bridgeburners. A handful of soldiers enter the stable led by Gesler and Stormy. The other four are introduced as Truth, Tavos Pond, Sands and Pella. When Strings introduces himself, Stormy comments on how he and Gesler should have changed their names too, hinting that they know who he is. Outside the stables, Strings admits to Gesler that he is Fiddler. They head to a tavern to swap stories, each thinking they have the best one. de:Der Krieg der Schwestern/Kapitel 5 05